At the very Least
by WordRadiation
Summary: Alpha! Dave and Rose: They were heroes in their own right. Their legacy lived on, but the details were missing. Let's fill in the holes, from when they started their rebellion to the absolute end.


Summary:  
Alpha! Dave and Rose

They were heroes in their own right. Their legacy lived on, but the details were missing.

Let's fill in the holes, from when they started their rebellion to the absolute end.  
-

This is my spin on things. Focuses on the spots where Dirk didn't have the exact details, so of course this is a bit AU. I love, love, love, Stridercest, but this is not it. Especially since the recent updates, I've been dying over the immense amount of FEELS I've been having for siblinglove!RoseDave. The beginning is centered around Rose and her relationship with Roxy, but after that Dave plays a bigger part (you know, the Juggalo presidents and all that).

Also, technically Rose and Dave should be 50-ish years old when they die, but for the purposes of this fic, let's pretend they're in their late 20's, early 30's, okay?

I hope this hits you in the gut. If it makes you tear up, I've done my job.

* * *

- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering tentacleTherapist [TT] -

TG: are we doing this or not lalonde  
TT: Dave...I'm not sure if I can.  
TT: I can't just go racing off into battle on a whim anymore. I've got Roxy to think about.  
TG: if you dont take this chance roxy is not going to even have a chance  
TG: rose  
TG: are you still with me  
TT: I'm still here, Dave, just thinking.

Rose leans back in the chair, the laptop warm on her lap. Looking to her right, she smiles fondly at the messy blonde head just peeking out from under the kitty printed covers. 'She's only two years old...' she thinks, fingers hovering over the keys on the computer. Before she can start her reply back to Dave, an ad pops up on her screen, depicting the current presidents, their painted faces smiling back at her.

Propaganda.

A frown works its way upon Rose's face before she clicks the 'x' button to close the ad. This time, when her hands are above the keyboard, she doesn't hesitate.

TT: I'm still here, Dave. But I'm tired of this oppression that is being forced upon us. When do we make our first public move?  
TG: damn rose  
TG: whats with the sudden shift in personality  
TT: Strider.  
TG: sorry sorry  
TG: this needs to be as soon as possible  
TG: but i need to double check some things  
TG: you know  
TG: making sure our targets are going to be at the right place and at the right time  
TG: and when everything is confirmed well be waiting for them  
TT: Together?  
TG: together

- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT] -

With a sigh, Rose Lalonde closes the laptop and settles it on the nightstand next to the bed. She feels the familiar prickling sensation in her eyes -it's the same feeling she had when she realized that Dave was the only one left- but closes them, hoping to stop what's going to come next. The action is useless though, as she feels a few tears slip from her eyes, some of the wet drops getting stuck on her eyelashes. Her head falls into her hands, which in turn are propped up by her elbows on her skirt-clad knees, and she rubs at her face, smearing some of her black lipstick. After realizing the tears are not going to stop, she covers her face, hoping to stifle the little sighs and sniffles that she can't help but let escape.

"I've sealed my fate. I know I'm not getting out of this alive." she whispers, looking out through in between the white vinyl shutters on the windows. Roxy stirs a bit at her mother's voice, and Rose bites her lip, looking away. Standing as silently as possible, the blonde walks to her daughter's closet and picks out a few shirts, skirts, leggings, and her daughter's favorite sneakers. With the articles of clothing in her hand, she walks out, closing the bedroom door behind her with her free hand. She stuffs these into a bag, and gathers some other essentials and puts it in there as well.

Before sunrise, Rose has two bags in her hand, one is for Roxy, filled to the brim with clothing of all sizes and other essentials. The other holds her own materials, the ones needed in her rebellion with Dave. Walking back into her daughter's room, Rose scoops up the toddler, still sleeping in her mother's arms, and proceeds outside of their home. 'The Carapacian Colony...' Rose thinks, as she heads to their method of transport. 'It won't be the most comfortable, but it will be the safest.' Tucking her daughter into the toddler seat, Rose gets in the front and starts to steer them towards the closest one. "And when you're old enough, you will return to our home. I've stocked it with anything and everything you might need, my dove." The older Lalonde knows that Roxy is still drifting in her own dreamland, but she feels the need to fill the silence that permeates the vehicle. It breaks her heart to leave Roxy with the Carapacians, but they are extremely loyal and kind, so they're really the only species she feels somewhat comfortable leaving Roxy in the care of.

Rose talks the whole ride, re-living the memories they spent in that short 2 year period and constantly reminding Roxy how much she loves her, hoping that her words will reach her daughter's subconscious. But too soon, they arrive at the floating land mass above the water, and Rose proceeds quickly, grabbing Roxy's bag and scooping her beloved daughter from the seat. The Carapacians are already up and about, but they part the roads to let Rose pass by.

She only offers a sad smile to them.

Stopping in front of what seems like a family of 3 Carapacians, Rose bends down and offers Roxy to the motherly one. She immediately takes the baby in her arms -Roxy as a toddler is half the size of the mother Carapacian already- and cradles it instinctively. A pang of -something- hits Rose right in the heart. Sighing, she offers the backpack to the one standing next to the mother, and when he takes it, she utters a soft, "Thank you."

The smallest Carapacian peers at Roxy curiously, then moves to tug on Rose's dress, pointing to Roxy. Bending down, Rose shakes the child Carapacian's hand then leans towards Roxy. Placing a gentle kiss upon her child's forehead, she tells Roxy softly, "There's a letter for you in the backpack when you're old enough to read...I can only hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me." She nods once at the mother Carapacian and stands to her full height, almost towering over the family of, now, 4. Rose turns, a sad smile upon her lips, and starts to walk away.

"Be strong, my dove."

-  
2 days later  
-

-TT: For centuries thereafter, survivors of the Hilarocaust would cite the rooftop showdown as one of the most heroic moments in human history.-

"Hehehehee! Ha. You, little boy, think you can take us on?" The taller figure dressed in black grinned widely, the face paint making the smile seem wicked and cruel.

The smaller, fatter, figure hopped from one foot to another, in some imitation of a clown's dance. "You couldn't keep up with us if we were 20 more years older, boy. It's been almost an hour and you still haven't landed a fatal hit!~"

A blond haired male growled low in his throat. "I'm not a boy." he grunted out, concentrating on predicting his opponent's movements.

"Oh yeah! You're a mannn. You're a big, strong, man that's trying to head a rebellion!~" Both of them cackled and their grins only grew wider.

Before any more words could be exchanged, Dave Strider lunged ahead, attacking the taller and more lithe Juggalo president. Before the sword could come into contact with skin, he arched his back and dodged, then proceeded to swing his first towards Dave's head. The shorter president swung his leg around, hoping to trip the Strider, but Dave performed and aerial flip, twisting his body sideways to avoid both attacks. Once he landed, he shot backwards suddenly, seemingly defying gravity. The two Juggalos gave each other a confused look before shooting glares at Dave. At the same time, they started to sprint towards the blonde, shouting insults, their happy facade completely wiped from their face.

'That's right. Get angry. Get irrational.' he though to himself, pulling his right arm forward a bit, pulling the string attached there taunt, before it loosened by itself. Smirking, he ran head on to meet the two co-presidents. While the strings attached to various parts of his body helped him evade his enemies punches, he looked for any openings. They went on like this for a few minutes, Dave analyzing their movements from behind his sunglasses, red pupils darting to and fro, trying to predict their next move.

A cocky smirk typical of a Strider slowly appeared, as he saw the perfect chance to make his own move. He used his left hand to tap the end of his sword's grip twice, and the strings loosened considerably. Once he saw his chance, he slashed his sword sideways, cutting the two right in half. Before the blood could even land on the roof of the presidential mansion, Dave Strider leaped backwards. He didn't want any filthy Juggalo blood on him, of course.

For a minute, he just stood there, looking at the corpses of the former presidents, their faces in matching grimaces of pain instead of their usual cruel smiles. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a splash of white-yellow and purple. Within seconds, he felt the almost invisible strings on his elbows, hip, waist, and knees loosen suddenly, as if cut. Dave didn't turn. He knew she was there, hiding behind the columns, so when he spoke, he made sure she could hear him from her distance.

"Good job. You saved my ass a couple times out there."

An amused voice responded, distinctly feminine and familiar. "What are sisters for, dearest brother?"

"Are you ready for your own match?"

"As ready as I will ever be."

"Cool. I'll see you then. The falls; two days from now." Without anymore prompt, he walked to the side and grabbed his skateboard. Planting his feet on the old, beat up thing, he made sure his stance was steady before skating off the roof, the skateboard supporting his weight, and lifting him into the air.

- TT: The few witnesses would report seeing only a man with a sword on a shitty skateboard, gently rising into the night sky.  
TT: No one ever saw him again. -

-  
2 days later  
-

- TT: His crimes had already been committed. She couldn't repay them by any stretch of the imagination.  
TT: But she could wipe the blood stained grin off that fat bastard's face. -

Practically snarling, Rose dodged the clawing motion aimed for her stomach. "You are scum. You disgust me." she tells him as she loosens the yarn at her side, making room for more loose yarn. She wraps it around her hand a few times, so it doesn't get tangled, and steadies her stance. Her shoulder is slightly bleeding, the dress only a bit ripped from when Guy actually managed to land a hit.

But her makeup was absolutely perfect. There was not one smudge.

In a lassoing motion, she threw her steel enforced yarn towards his feet, and let it loop around his ankles. Pulling forcefully, she manages to trip him, bringing him to his knees. Making quick work of his disadvantage, she races in front of him and ties his wrists together as well. "For Roxy." she says, as Rose takes the pointed ends of her needles and jabs them into his face, one in each eye. Rose only flinches once, at his blood-curdling scream, but soon enough, her facade of ferocity is back. Pulling the string wrapped around her hands, the adrenaline pumping through her veins allows her the strength to pull the man to the edge of the falls. A spray of water almost manages to hit her, but she dodges it just in time.

With Guy Fieri's torso dangling over the ledge, Rose's foot on his lower back is the only thing keeping him from falling.

"Please! It wasn't me, it was her!"

Glaring daggers, Rose lets the pressure on his back decrease a little, and he dangle forward even more. "That is a lie. You killed innocents on your own account. I have to pity for murderers and liars." With this last phrase, she uses her free foot to push off from the ledge, stepping onto his back and riding his body down the falls like a sled.

The roaring waters were deafening, but Rose ignored it all, keeping a close eye on how far they were down the falls, and how close they were to hitting the huge mass of water at the bottom. Approximately 10 feet from hitting the end, she rips her needles out of her enemy's eyes and quickly cuts the yarn with a special pair of scissors tucked into a pocket. Putting as much strength into her legs as possible, Rose uses Guy's body as a platform and leaps off, trying to get as far from the sharp rocks at the bottom as possible. Rose tucks the needles into her sash and grips her yarn as her feet make contact with the water. Soon enough, her whole body is engulfed in the turning of the miniature waves and foam. She considers just staying under, her job is done, after all, but a flash of a blonde little girl, with bright pink eyes fills her mind and she immediately swims up to the surface, taking greedy breaths of air. Floating for a few seconds, she starts to swim away from the waterfall slowly. Her body is tired, worn out, but when she sees a man on a skateboard in the distance, a small smile forms.

'Right on time, Strider.'

He approaches fast, clad in skinny jeans and his iconic T-shirt with a jacket in hand. Getting closer to the water, he squats down, putting his free hand down to her as she lifts her right hand up. Dave grabs her forearm, and she mimics the action as he commands the skateboard to lift them higher. Flexing, Dave pulls Rose up and onto the skateboard in one lift, and she sits on the side for a bit, the wind making her shiver slightly. A jacket is draped across her shoulders, and Rose looks up, a grateful smile on her lips.

"Thanks, Dave."

"What are brothers for, dearest sister?" He manages to make the line sound cool, he somehow makes it work, but Rose just lets out a small chuckle, getting up from her sitting position to stand behind her brother, wrapping her hands around his waist as he steers them to land.

-TT: She gouged his eyes with a pair of needles.  
TT: And rode his torso to the bottom of the bloody falls.-

-  
TT: Reports of what happened to our ancestors after that are sketchy.  
TT: There were no eye witness accounts I've found, but some believe they regrouped and confronted the Condesce herself.  
-

-  
1 day later

"We're fighting a losing battle, Dave." she pants as she gets back on two feet. Rose wipes a bit of blood from her vision, a hit to the head making everything a bit blurry. She is running out of yarn, and her needles have started to dull from confrontation with the Condesce's even sharper trident.

He throws his shades to the ground, the lenses shattered and broken beyond repair. Spitting a mouthful of blood out, he wipes the excess on his sleeve. "Nasty tasting..." he mutters to himself before sparing a glance at Rose's fear-stricken face. Dave turns his full attention to the Condesce but replies to his sister. "We knew we were going to lose this battle, Rose-"

But before he can even finish, the Condesce unleashes something, a sickly yellow blast coming from her double headed trident that knocks the breath out of both Strider siblings. Rose is bleeding profusely from her head injury now, and Dave is fairing no better. The aftereffects of the blast leaves their limbs numb and virtually useless. Rose collapses onto her back first, but Dave follows soon after, first landing on his knees, before falling backwards as well. Their weapons lay abandoned in between them, as the Condesce stalks closer, her hair making a dark halo around her figure. A smile twists its way onto her features, as she gazes at the fallen pair.

"I think this is it, Rose." Dave says to her. It's in a whisper because every breath hurts, but he has to say something.

"You two fought formidably. But in the end, you will still die by my hands." her voice was melodic, but the intent was deadly.

Rose nods slowly from her position and replies sadly, "Is it wrong I'm afraid to die, Dave?" she doesn't want to, but more blood comes leaking out of the side of her mouth.

"No, not at all, sis..." Dave gives Rose her best Strider smile and reaches his hand out. If they were going to die, they were going to die together.

Just when their fingertips touch however, the Condesce lets a wicked laugh fall from her lips before plunging her trident into Rose's side. No words come of Rose's mouth, only a cry of pain, as her eyes widen and the hand reaching for Dave's twitches before falling limp. Her eyes close soon after, black painted lips closing in a permanent grimace.

"Rose!"

The Condesce turns her head towards Dave as she takes a few steps around Rose, walking in the Seer's blood. "Don't worry, Knight of Time." She stepped over Rose's corpse, taking her time as she gets closer to Dave. Switching her trident to her left hand, she picks up his sword, and lifts it right above his chest. "You'll be joining her soon." She lets the sword fall, and when the end of it reaches her hands, she uses her palm to force the sword down, impaling him. With superhuman strength, she quickly bends the sword sideways, and it promptly snaps in half. Dropping it next to Dave's head, she sweeps her vision over her path of destruction, before turning around and dropping the end of her weapon to the floor, letting his trident dip in the Derse sibling's blood. She walks away, a trail of her victims' blood following after her.

"Game over."

- TT: Whatever actually went down, they're surely both dead now.  
TT: I guess it had to happen like that, though. -

- TT: But I really would have liked to be able to meet them.  
TT: I guess some things would just be too awesome to ever stand a chance of happening. -

* * *

Thank you so much for reading!

Reviews are appreciated, Reviewers are loved!

~WordRadiation


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